The Animal Within
by Antalla
Summary: She first saw him in the darkness. A pale reminder that she wasn't the only one, with a beast inside.
1. Chapter 1

She had no way of remembering quite how long she had been collared to this tree. Just that she had been there long enough that the weight of the chains, didn't seem quite as heavy as they use to. She had become use to their presence around her neck. At first, the loss of her freedom had been a difficult pill to swallow. Now she just felt a seeping numbness. Something cold and dark, that had creeped further into her mind the longer she was here. Holding her just as much a prisoner as the hermit that had captured her to begin with.

Tranquilizer, he had once gloated. Deliveries were made to him by a scentless figure in black and red robes. The reason for her confinement, remained a mystery to her. Whoever the hermit was, he had been tasked with keeping her contained. In the beginning, she had wasted her breath trying to get answers out of the old man. Screaming her confusion as often and as loudly as she could. The only responses she ever received were knowing grins. Something that hinted she was merely a pawn in some unknown game.

Thoughts of the hermit enticed and expanded her anger and rage. It was refreshing to feel something other than the near acceptance she had adopted. The animal within her paced. She longed to feel the crunch of the hermit's neck between her teeth. The urge was so strong, it had become a near tangible need.

There was no way for her to break these chains. She wrapped a hand around the cool metal leading to the collar around her throat. Squeezing as hard as she could, ignoring the pain as the crude links began to cut into her skin. She didn't have superhuman strength. No. Nothing so special as the ability to fly, or being able to crush trees with her bare hands. She huffed, a near chuckle, at the thought. The humans would probably label her a werewolf. Though the label wouldn't be entirely accurate. She was not swayed by the moons hold. She held control over her shifting. Most of the time, anyway. Not that it helped her now.

Closing her eyes, she tilted her head upwards towards the object of her most recent thoughts. The night brought with it some semblance of peace. Inhaling deeply, she tried to quiet the rage within her, taking in the forest around her. The trees rustling in the breeze, their leaves slowly making their way to the ground as fall took hold. The dirt, underneath her feet, cool and refreshing. The occasional chirp of a cricket. In the distance a river gushed, cutting its own path through the forest. She could almost pretend that she was not a captive. That she was free to run through the forest and do as she pleased.

A door slamming yanked her out of her daydream. She turned minutely towards the noise, pulling her lips back and letting loose a quiet growl. Her oddly long canines, glinting in the moonlight. Rage bubbling quickly back to the surface replacing the brief peace she had felt. The smell of the hermit that was responsible for her confinement hitting her sensitive nose. The stench of rot and alcohol surrounding him, nearly causing her to gag.

He turned in response to her outburst, an angry expression on his face.

"Shut the fuck up, stupid bitch! Can't you see a man's trying to enjoy himself here! Can' even do that will all the damn racket your making"

Bending down, he picked up a rock and chucked it at her. Laughing hoarsely when it hit its target, before making his way over to the pile of firewood stacked haphazardly near the back of the run-down shack. He busied himself grabbing pieces of wood to carry back inside.

Shifting her body away from her the object of her hate, she once again tried to lose herself in her thoughts. Hoping that, even if only for a moment, she could forget her current predicament.

* * *

She woke suddenly. Her body snapping into alertness even as her mind struggled to keep up, drowsiness clouding her thoughts. She had been resting so peacefully… that thought rung with wrongness. She had not truly rested since being brought here. Looking back at the shack, she could make out the hermit sitting at his makeshift table. The cracks between the boards doing little to hide him. Overall there was nothing unusual about his activity.

Then what was it that had her awaken so suddenly?

She turned, surveying the surrounding forest slowly. Her eyes scanning over the foliage, trying to find the cause for her unease. Even as she searched, she could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Her body warning her about a threat that she had yet to identify with her eyes.

Standing up, she placed her back against the tree. Feeling more protected in that position than sitting on the ground, waiting for whatever it was to decide its next move. The chains around her next rattling loudly with the movement, feeling heavier than they had in a while on her slender neck.

Inhaling deeply, she scented the air around her. Hoping that it would provide her with any sort of clue. The shack behind, emitted a majority of what she could smell. The stink of the hermit, his clothes, alcohol and the animals he would kill, masked many of the scents of the forest. But vaguely, so subtle she could almost convince herself it wasn't there, came tendrils of the most tantalizing scent. Spicy. Dangerous. Something, that made her stomach tingle in excitement.

Confusion enveloped her.

She turned back again to look at the hermit's shack. Hoping, for once, he would make an appearance. However, all was quiet from within the building. Scowling, it was not surprising that he would be completely useless the one time he might be needed.

As she looked back towards the forest, she felt her breath catch helplessly in her throat. For there, on the very edge of her chains reach, was one of the biggest men she had ever seen.

It was as though time, momentarily slowed, as she processed his sudden appearance. He was wearing a set of deep blue coveralls, with a heavy looking pair of work boots. In his pale hands he held a knife, gripped tightly. His face, obscured by a white emotionless mask. His eyes hidden by the shadows it cast.

She inhaled sharply. The surprise of his sudden appearance, releasing her from its grip. With it, again, came that same tantalizing scent from earlier. This time much heavier, as the cause for it was standing mere feet from her.

She blinked. Her back was still pressed against the tree, the bark digging into her skin. The man took a slow step closer. Her brain screamed at her to get ready to fight for her life. Her heart raced in excitement at the man closing the distance between them. Her eyes furrowed in confusion at the two, very different, reactions. Yet with the next step he took, there would be no question about her response.

She pulled her lips back, opening her mouth to display her long deadly canines. Growling loudly and savagely, there was no mistaking that she was not human. For no human could possibly make such a noise. The sound, echoed through the clearing and the warning was obvious.

The masked man, paused in his approach. Silent as death. Staring at her, with the slightest tilt of his head. She growled again viciously in response. Chained to a tree or not, she would fight. Regardless of the futility of doing so. She could feel the animal within her begging to be released. Something that was not possible while she still had the metal collar clasped around her neck.

The sound of the shacks door getting practically ripped off its hinges momentarily captured her attention. The hermit stormed out of the shack, quite obviously enraged at being woken from his drunken slumber.

"I told you stupid bitch! Shut the fuck up! I gave you a chance and now I'm gon' make you shut up!"

In his hands, he held the same gun he would use to shoot the darts that would cause her to sleep. Her eyes widened. If he shot her, she would die. She would not be able to protect herself from the masked man. Turning back quickly, she was shocked to see that the man in question was no longer there. He had vanished.

The muffled pop of the gun sounded in the clearing. She looked down at the side of her arm, were the drug carrying dart now resided. The pinch from its entrance, sharp and annoying. She fell to her knees, struggling to fight the fast-acting drugs. She could feel her body trying to pull her into slumber, and she took one last desperate glance around for the masked man that had caused this. Finding nothing, she collapsed. Her vision hazing over, as she was forced into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

Awareness was slowly creeping back into her body. Whatever had been pumped into her, acted like a cocoon. Wrapping around her entire being and preventing anything from getting in or out. From experience, she knew that as the drug wore off it would be like peeling back layers of an onion.

She could feel the ground beneath her now. Digging into her body painful due to the awkward angle she had lost consciousness in. She willed her body to move, pleading internally for it to cooperate with her wishes. Her eyelids felt like they each weighed a hundred pounds. She tried to listen to forest around her, anything that would give her information, but it was like she was in a very long tunnel. The noises around her echoed and rang in her ears.

Her head throbbed from the concentration it took to tilt her body enough to roll on her back. The muscles in her shoulder spasmed as the weight they had been bearing lifted. Vaguely, she recognized that she could still feel the pinch of the needle in her arm.

She had never been an overly violent person. Sure, she had her moments of rage and fights. But she had never taken a life. It was a feat, that not many of her kind could lay claim to. The anger was always there, close to the surface. It took a strong person to control the animal. She used to be proud of it. That she had the restraint needed to control it. But now, things were different. She was different.

Her hand flexed.

A sense of victory washed through her.

* * *

Her eyes slowly opened. The drugs finally relinquishing their iron tight hold over her body. A wave of nausea washed over her, a nasty side effect that she hadn't been looking forward to.

The sun was faint in the sky, signaling a slow transition back into the night. She had been unconscious a long time. Longer than normal. Wrapping a hand around her chains, she used the leverage from the tree to pull herself into a sitting position. Tugging the dart from her arm quickly, she dropped it in the dirt. The movement sent the world around her spinning. She dug the heels of her hands into her eyes, trying stop the dizziness from overwhelming her. It did little to help and she barely managed to turn to the side before she emptied her stomach onto the ground. It didn't take long before she was merely dry heaving. Her stomach now painfully empty. It quivered as the wave of nausea started to pass. She took a moment to recuperate, breathing slowly to regain her composure. Wrinkling her nose in distaste at the mess, she pushed herself back to once again rest her body against the tree.

She looked down thoughtfully, and slowly picked up the previously discarded dart. Turning it over in her hand, the sharp needle glinting in the evenings light. She momentarily allowed a smile to touch her lips.

* * *

She was aware of movement inside the shack becoming more pronounced. It was normal, after being drugged, for him to come out and force her to drink a large amount of water to keep her from becoming dehydrated. He always stood next to her during these interactions. The side effects of the injections gave him a false sense of security.

Her hand tightened around her newfound prize. He was getting sloppy.

She didn't have to wait long for the man to come sauntering out of the hut. A set of keys hung mockingly from his belt, jingling merrily with each step closer he took. He held a jug of water loosely in his hand. As he approached her, that smug grin he always wore got bigger. He took pleasure in seeing her in such a state. She couldn't wait to tear his smirk off his face.

As expected, he didn't stop outside the reach of her chains. He walked up to her side and squatted own, setting the jug of water down next to him.

"Well, well little missy. Looks like you had a rough day" his smile got wider and he jerked the chain around her neck mockingly before picking up the jug and shoving it at her

She locked eyes with him. Staring. Ignoring the jug that had been shoved into her chest, making no move to take proffered item.

"You kno' the fucking drill bitch. Drink it before I shove it down your throat myself"

A moment passed and a look of annoyance crossed over his face as he realized she wasn't going to take the jug. He reached out, grabbed her jaw with his grimy hand. On instinct, one of her hands came up to wrap around his wrist trying to alleviate the pressure on her face. His fingers dug into her cheeks trying to force her to open her mouth. She could feel his ragged dirty fingernails cutting into the sensitive skin.

She grinned, she couldn't stop it from emerging. Her eyes glinting at the victory that was so close. Her strange actions caused him to stop trying to pry her mouth open, his grip loosened. The realization that something was off, finally hitting him. That he had missed something very important. He tried to shove himself backward, away from her. But it was too little, too late.

She lunged forward, using her hold on his wrist to gain momentum. She lodged the dart in the side of his face. Burying as much of the needle as she could manage and pulled it downwards, tearing a gash several inches long in his cheek before she ripped it back out. His surprised yelp pleased her. She slammed the weapon back down in a different location, giving it the same treatment as the first. He threw himself back, effectively breaking her hold on the needle. He tried to scramble out of the reach of her chains, holding a hand to the new holes in his face. Blood oozing out between his fingers. She followed his body, sinking her teeth into his shoulder shaking her head viciously back and forth as she attempted to rip a chunk out of his skin. His blood tasted like copper on her tongue. Her hands pulled at the keys on his belt, the snap holding them in place easily gave way. She ripped her face away from his skin, her prize had been acquired.

He took advantage of her distraction to crawl away, desperately scrambling to stand up.

But it didn't matter. She slid the key home in the lock of her collar. The pop of the metal releasing rang through the small clearing. Standing up, she let both collar and keys fall to her feet. She took a moment to relish her new freedom.

The man had run off sluggishly into the woods. Excitement coursed through her body. The thought of a hunt only served to rile up her animal more. She was practically vibrating from the need to shift into her alternate form. She gave in easily, seeing no reason to deny herself this pleasure any longer.

The popping of bones sounded through the clearing.


	3. Chapter 3

The night was deceptively calm, considering what was currently occurring in the depth of these woods. The more human half of her had been gently pushed back into the recesses of her mind, as the animal within took control. She could fight her inner self to remain in charge but the respite it offered was more than welcome. So, there she remained, hidden away in her own mind. A silent observer as her beast stalked through the underbrush. Hunting the man who had thought to keep them caged. Who thought he could do as he pleased, with no consequence.

It wasn't difficult for the wolf to follow his trail. The blood dripping from his face had left small clues to his direction. That, on top of the stench that constantly surrounded him, guaranteed that he would not be able to hide. It was like her own personal Hansel and Gretel, she thought bemusedly. Dripping his own version of breadcrumbs through the forest, all for her convenience.

She was getting closer now. She could hear the snapping of branches and crunch leaves as he stomped through the forest like a brute. Fear that wafted off him like tasty treat, one meant solely for her enjoyment.

Her wolf was excited, the feeling washing over her. She stopped abruptly, the dirt pushing up around her paws from the traction. She could feel herself rearing back before a long, loud howl erupted from her throat.

She laughed, inside herself, as she realized what was happening. It was not like her wolf, to toy with its prey. But it seemed that, that was the point this time. To let him know that she was coming. His demise was near.

A strong wave of fear came floating through the trees. Their prey picking up his pace in a desperate attempt to put distance between them. She started forward again, in a lazy run. Quickly closing any space that he had momentarily been able to put between them. She could see him now, as he stumbled through the woods. His frequent nervous glances behind him, pleased her. He _should_ be afraid.

The moment she stepped into his line of vision, he let out a squeal of fright before barreling through the woods once again. Faster this time. No doubt a fresh wave of adrenaline giving him energy. She broke out into a run, unable to stop the instinct to give quick chase when the object of her hunt was in sight and fleeing.

She was directly behind him now. Stretching out her neck, she latched her powerful jaws into his left calf muscle. Blood spilled from his body onto the white fur of her muzzle, staining it a bright crimson. A scream erupted from his throat. The force of her bite pulling him down to the ground. She watched him wither for a moment before she turned him loose. Watching silently as he tried to stand up once again. Hobbling away, dragging his mangled leg behind him.

It took three steps for her to return to his side and close her jaws around his other leg. She pulled him back with her this time, tearing her head side to side. Unable to control the rage, a result of his transgressions against them. The muscles in this leg tore and she ground her teeth hard into his bones, delighting when she heard them crack under the pressure. He screamed again, the terror and pain he felt obvious.

She let go. Choosing to slowly circle his broken and bleeding body. He was crying now. Pleading with her. As if she cared about his pleas. She sat back on her haunches, tilting her head to the slide and stared at him. Her ears twisting occasionally as she took in the noises he made.

When he started to drag himself away from her, she felt her rage once again take control. Did he not know that he had lost? That she was the one in control? Did he think that he could get away? Escape her? She trotted to his body, placing a heavy paw in the middle of his back. A fresh scream tore from his throat as her claws cut into his skin.

"Please! PLEASE! Oh God I'm so-"

She snarled before biting down on his neck. She ground down, delighting when his bones once again gave way to her strength. He went limp. Dead. She turned him loose. Displeased. She had hoped he would last longer so she could play with him more. Humans were weak though, compared to her in this form.

She chuffed in annoyance and pawed at the back of the man's head. It was in her next breath that she realized she was not alone. That the same delicious scent she had experienced yesterday, was back. Looking up, she spotted him quickly. He wasn't trying to hide, instead standing in the middle of the small clearing they had found themselves in.

She moved to stand in front of her kill. Protecting her prize. The beast within her refusing to let someone else muscle in on her hard work. Something else brushed against the back of her consciousness. It was as if there was something missing. Some knowledge that she should have, but didn't. Strangely, she felt no overwhelming hostility towards him in this form. She could feel her more human half surge forward, trying to take control. She shoved her further back in her mind roughly. She had been denied freedom for so long, she was not ready to go back.

The wolf focused once again on the man standing in the clearing. She growled at him, unsure why his presence here didn't disturb her. She could feel his eyes on her. She took a slow step closer, curiosity pushing her forward, and sniffed. His head titled to the side, as though he was confused, but otherwise he made no movement. His hands remained relaxed and non-threatening at his sides.

Feeling more confident with his lack of aggression, she took another step towards him. She was close enough now that her fur brushed against his leg. In this form, she came up to just above his knees. He was quite tall for a human. She scented him, enjoying the way he smelt. It was masculine and spicy. It hinted at an underlying danger, one that didn't seem to concern her.

Some instinct in her screamed that he was _hers_. She ignored it for the moment, resuming the task she had taken to. Sniffing, she used her nose to drag up one of his pant legs slightly. Enough to expose the top of his boot. She stuck her nose in the top of it and huffed, finding nothing of interest, she moved on. She pulled her nose up his leg, stopping briefly to inspect various stains on the material of his coveralls. Some were blood. Some she couldn't identify.

She drifted to his side. His hand capturing her attention. Dragging her muzzle across his exposed skin she inspected the raised scars that stretched the back of his hand. Her tongue snaked out to taste his skin and his hand clenched tightly in response. The sudden movement startled her and she backed up minutely to look at him.

He was glaring down at her, his body tense. His eyes finally visible from the confines of that mask he wore. An icy blue color, it felt like they could see straight through her.

Flicking her tail dismissively at his reaction, confident in her ability to defend herself in this form, she resumed her exploration. Bolder this time, she pushed herself against his legs. Instinct driving her to rub her neck over the parts of him she could reach. Scenting him. Marking him as hers. The human within her seemed disturbed at the silent claim.

It was as she was pushing off her last circle around his body that she felt him. The slight pressure of his fingers as he moved them through the fur on her neck.

* * *

The first time he saw her, chained to that tree, it felt like steel cables had wrapped around his very being. Anchoring him to her. It was a strange, foreign. _Infuriating._ The thought that he would be connected to anyone didn't sit well with him. But he was a patient man. Content to watch and wait, to do what was necessary to figure out just what this strange connection was.

He was not motivated to help her escape her chains. Had no urge to rescue her from her captor. He almost hoped the man would kill her, so that he could be done with it. He wouldn't have cared either way. The thought rang with dishonesty. He ignored it.

He had watched her free herself from those chains. Amused at the amount of blood such a tiny woman had managed to draw from her victim. Thrilling at the amount of fear the man emitted as he ran into the forest, holding is torn cheeks.

There weren't many things that could surprise him anymore. But when the sound of bones popping and cracking in the clearing drew his attention back to her, and instead of a woman there was a wolf. He was surprised. A curiosity about this new unknown blooming in his chest.

When he found himself under the wolfs inspection, it was that curiosity that kept him from picking up the animal and choking the life from its eyes. But instead of fulfilling the malevolent thoughts that were floating in his mind, there was an urging to return the contact being lavished upon his person.

Uncurling his fingers from the fist he had clenched them into, he brushed them softly against the coarse fur of her neck. Ignoring the contented feeling that came from the briefly gentle touch. He trailed his fingers down to the base of her neck, before finding a fistful of scruff and shoving the animal down into the ground.

* * *

She yelped in shock as she was forced downward. Not expecting a human to have so much strength, she was taken by surprise at his sudden assault. She struggled against him as his forearm dug into her neck. Keeping her head tight against the ground, one of his massive hands wrapped around both of her front legs. Effectively stopping any of her attempts at regaining her footing or tearing at him with her claws. A heavy thigh dug into her side, keeping her back legs immobilized.

It was like someone had set a mountain on top of her, and for the first time her wolf felt what it was like to fear a human. She growled weakly, angry at the turn of events. Struggling against his hold on her, trying to twist herself out from under him. Snapping her jaws at the fingers closest to her muzzle.

His only response was to push himself harder into her neck. Forcing her back painfully into the dirt. Her animal recognized the display for what it was. Dominance. He was showing her that he was the dominant. He was the one in control. She had never had a human even _attempt_ such with her before.

She stilled beneath him. Breathing heavily as a result of her previous struggles. She let out a low whine, her tail tucked itself underneath her as she tried to make herself seem as unthreatening as possible before relinquishing control of her body to her human side.


	4. Chapter 4

Blinking rapidly, she tried to overcome the abrupt shift back into her human body. Her chest heaving, as much as the mountain of a man on top of her would allow, to catch her breath. Her body was in a state of exhaustion, the past few hours taking their toll in her malnourished state.

The giant shifted on top of her, releasing her arms, as he slid his body back to straddle her waist instead of crushing her chest. His confident and relaxed stature above her spoke volumes. He was not worried about her being able to harm him. If she had to be completely honest with herself, if he had shut down her primal side so easily he probably _wouldn't_ have any issues with this side. The knowledge caused her to bristle in anger.

Her earlier phasing had destroyed her clothes, leaving her naked beneath his body. With the weight of him resting heavily on her hips, an unfamiliar warmth once again spread in her chest, fueled by the contact. She tried to ignore the sensation, instead drawing strength from her anger at the situation.

"Get off me"

She growled out the demand, disappointed when her voice didn't come out as scary and intimidating as she had hoped. A point proven when the eyes behind his mask seemed to crinkle in amusement.

Her beast whimpered within her, urging her to submit. She snarled in response to the inner plea. Infuriated that he thought to dominate her and at the fact that her beast had given in _so_ easily. She lashed out, swiping at the mans face with as much strength as she could muster. If he thought she was done fighting, he was sadly mistaken.

The swing connected with his mask, the force behind the hit pushing his head to the side. With her other hand she grabbed the front of his coveralls, determined to give him the same treatment as she had the hermit. Using his clothes as leverage, she pulled herself up as much as she could with him sitting on her hips. He was so big, she barely reached the bottom of his chest. She pulled her lips back and sunk her teeth through his coveralls and into his body, ready to rip a chunk of flesh off. His hand quickly came up and roughly grabbed a fist full of her auburn hair.

Everything came to a screeching halt at her first taste of him. As his warm blood spilled into her mouth, she was blasted with a wave of possessiveness so powerful it pulled a territorial growl from her. A maddening heat seeped into her body and she clutched his coveralls tighter to her body. She pulled herself flush with his powerful body, unable to stop herself from pushing her teeth further into his chest. He grunted in response to the digging of her teeth and the heat coursing through her body flared. It was as she had been wrapped in a warm blanket and a sensation of unexplainable contentment wrapped around her being. A voice in the recesses of her mind whispered to her something that she couldn't understand. She whimpered in confusion, desperate to understand.

Unceremoniously she was thrown back from her prize. Her body bouncing off the ground from the sheer magnitude of his strength. The man quickly removed himself from his perch on her waist, his chest heaving. The knowledge that he was not unaffected caused her inner self to purr in pleasure.

As he stepped back from her form, a sense of abandonment lanced through her so unexpected and strong that a choked sob escaped her lips. She tried to cover up the sound, dragging herself backwards away from him. Her beast wined pitifully at the mans perceived rejection.

She shakily rose to her feet, unwilling to stop and examine what had just occurred, and began stumbling from the clearing as quickly as her body would allow. Every weak step she took away from the stranger sent a lancing pain through her heart. She pushed a shaking hand to her chest, attempting to dull the ache.

Once she reached the edge of the tree line, she risked a glance back.

He was already gone.

Night fell quickly, and with it came the chilly air of autumn. What had been a lancing pain in her heart at the clearing, had settled into a dull ache. She hadn't had to cover much ground before she, thankfully, stumbled across what looked to be an old hunting cabin. Her body was utterly exhausted and she was very much looking forward to finding a safe place to rest.

She was cautious, spending a decent amount of time scenting around the perimeter of the building. She was relieved to find nothing of note. It appeared whoever owned the building hadn't been here in quite some time. She took one last glance at the surrounding woods before trying the door. It didn't take much encouragement for the neglected wood to give out and swing open.

The doorway opened directly to a living room, off to the corner she could see a small kitchen and table, the other corner housed a set of stairs leading to the second floor.

Her first task would be to find some clothes to cover herself. She quickly climbed the rickety old stairs to find a bedroom off to the right and a bathroom to the left. She entered the bedroom and started her search for something to wear.

After rummaging around for a few minutes, she was able to find an old pair of jeans, that after she rolled down the waistband a few times, fit decently and a thin white t-shirt. In the closet she found a mud-covered pair of tennis shoes, that would do the job until she could either get home or find something better. Leaving the shoes in the closet for now, she turned back to the bed. It was as though the last of her energy left her at the sight, and she gratefully collapsed on the bedding.

When she awoke, the sun was already high in the sky. Groggily, she raised herself up off the bed, and shuffled her way over to the closet, grabbing the tennis shoes she found the previous night before heading down the stairs to see if the kitchen had any food.

Poking around the dusty cupboards yielded a dented can of spaghettios. Not her first pick of meals, but it was certainly better than nothing. She sat at the table, eating her findings with a slightly bent spoon, musing over what her next step would be. The ache in her chest flared up, she rubbed at it absentmindedly as she contemplated her options.

Finding out where she was would be key. She would have to walk until she found a town, then she could ask someone. As soon as she figured out where she was, getting home would be fairly simple. She brought the spoon to her lips, only to find that it was empty. Sighing to herself when she realized that she had already finished eating the small can of food, she let it fall to the table.

Bending down she started putting on the mud caked tennis shoes, ready to put more distance between her and the clearing than she had been able to last night.

Last night….

What the hell happened last night? One minute she had been ready to tear his throat out and the next she wanted… Her face flushed, remembering exactly what she had wanted last night. She finished tying the last lace and stood up, quickly walking out of the cabin and back into the woods.

…

She had been walking for what she estimated to be about an hour before her thoughts drifted back to the man. The ache in her chest seemed to pulse with the memory. She had never heard of something like that happening before among her own kind. Leave it to her to be the freak in a group of shifters. Whoever heard of biting someone and instantly becoming obsessed with them? She couldn't help but roll her eyes at the thought of being obsessed with the giant.

Her chest throbbed, as if it was quietly disagreeing with her. She tried her best to ignore it.

 _ **Ours.**_

She faltered in her next step at the growled thought within her own mind. She couldn't help but question it back, confused.

"What?" Her voice echoed softly through the forest.

 _ **OURS! Ours. Ours. Ours. Ou-**_

She snarled viciously in response to her inners ramblings, pushing her to the very recesses of her mind so that she wouldn't have to hear anymore.

What the hell was wrong with her? Had being chained to that tree for so long caused her to go insane? She shook her head in an attempt to dismiss her rambling thoughts, focusing instead on her surroundings as she resumed walking.


End file.
